Republicans controlling the federal government practice Social Darwinism, a discredited philosophy that in economics and politics calls for survival of the fittest, according to a Democratic U.S. senator. Sen. Barak Obama of Illinois, a fast-rising Democratic star, told Florida party members that only a philosophy among Republicans of sink or swim explains why some Hurricane Katrina victims in New Orleans still live in cars while Republicans in Washington prepare next week to enact $70 billion in tax breaks.

"It's called the 'Ownership society' in Washington. This isn't the first time this philosophy has appeared. It used to be called Social Darwinism," Obama said late Saturday at the Democrats meeting at Walt Disney World.

"They have a philosophy they have implemented and that is doing exactly what it was designed to do. They basically don't believe in government. They have a different philosophy that says, 'We're going to dismantle government'," Obama said.

Republicans running the federal government believe, "You are on your own to buy your own health care, to buy your own retirement security ... to buy your own roads and levees," Obama said, referring to flood barriers that gave way in New Orleans during Katrina last August.

Obama, the only African American now in the U.S. Senate, gave the keynote address at the annual meeting of Florida Democrats.

Social Darwinism applies Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection from biology to human culture. Popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the theory advocates free competition and a minimalist role for government in society. Darwin himself rejected the application of natural selection to human society.

""They have a philosophy they have implemented and that is doing exactly what it was designed to do. They basically don't believe in government. They have a different philosophy that says, 'We're going to dismantle government'," Obama said."

That is, of course, wrong. He's confused us with Libertarians.

We simply believe in a very limited role of gov't. We believe that a government that is big enough to satisfy all of your wants is big enough to take everything you have. We don't believe that social ills are best handled at the hightest levels of government.

We believe that government should handle only those things that the private sector can't handle, and then it's handled at the lowest possible level of government. Once we declare that the role is a legit role we believe in funding it adequately so that it is done well (ie, the military).

He's just another phony moderate, and no doubt feels that his recent remarks urging the Dems to be cautious in the 'they lied us into war' mantra has made him questionable to the kook base of the party, so he says this to mollify and reassure them that he's still with them way out there on the Left.

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